Secrets Shared
by Blackcat509
Summary: I aalways assumed there were more reasons that Ziva moved to NCIS, and that Ari's death and betrayl had more consequences than we were told. Tag to Silver War.


**A/N I've always been fascinated by the father/daughter relationship Gibbs and Ziva had (have.) It's one of my favourite things about the show. **

The wood shavings had piled up on the floor adding the scent of pine to Gibbs' basement. It was well past midnight, the hands on the clock covering the small hours of the morning. He'd thought Ziva would have been here hours ago. Resolving to finish planing the beam he was working on and leave it at that he poured one last glass of bourbon and began shaving the wood down. He'd almost finished it when the floorboards at the top of the stairs creaked. Looking up he saw Ziva, her hair and clothes were wet and her eyes tired when she met his gaze.

"You should have that board fixed," she said quietly, rocking back and forth slightly on it, making it squeak all the more.

He laughed, "you didn't come all this way, at this time of night to talk about flooring. Besides, if I fix that someone might be able to sneak up on me." She smiled before looking away and climbing down the last few steps. Carefully she cleared the few things off of the wooden bench, all to aware of Gibbs watching her, leaning her bag against the leg of the bench before balancing herself on the thin seat. When she looked up, he had a jar of bourbon in his hand ready for her. "I expected you earlier."

Her face crumpled with confusion. "You were expecting me?" Looking away again she sighed, taking the jar from his hand. "Of course, you were."

Dropping his hand, he topped up his own glass. "So, what took you so long?"

"Agent DiNozzo was here when I first arrived. I decided to wait for him to leave." She left unsaid that she didn't trust Tony yet, that this conversation was better kept private.

"Ziva, Tony left three hours ago."

"While I was waiting, I began to search the area, I am unsure if I was followed. I waited so long to be as certain as possible." Her hands came up a little as she tried to find the right words. "I am reasonably sure that no one was trailing me."

Gibbs felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, his eyes flickering to the narrow windows and then to the door at the top of the stairs. "Why would you be followed?"

He watched as she took a sip, her face tightening at the taste a moment before she swallowed. "I was not entirely honest with you about why I am here."

He smiled, "well I knew that." As good a liar as she may be, she hadn't been hiding it all too well.

Her face tightened a little, her eyes becoming a little harder for him to read. "Why didn't you ask me then? Why wait until now." Her voice held confusion and a little accusation.

His reply was instant. "Because I trust you. Because you weren't ready to tell me."

She relaxed then, her damp hair bobbing as she nodded. "I think it would be better if you knew exactly why I am here."

Sighing again, her eyes moved to the floor. The blood had all been cleaned up, but it would be a while before Gibbs stopped seeing Ari's body lying there, managed to forget his taunting voice. He couldn't imagine how it must be for Ziva. He watched as she began to shiver, pulling her damp jacket around herself a little tighter. "I did not lie when I said I had to get away from Mossad for a while, but it is not just because I-" Her voice caught in her throat, her eyes still on the space where her brother had been. "My father's position is unstable. Ari was not just his son but his mole, an operative of his own design. That he betrayed Mossad is not something that is being taken lightly. They are questioning his judgement."

Gibbs had suspected as much, but to hear it out loud was disconcerting. The calmness with which Ziva said it. The knowledge that she was in danger didn't seem to faze her as much as it would other people.

He watched her take another sip from the glass. "There are questions over my loyalty also."

"Why?" He hadn't been expecting that. To him, Ziva appeared to be exactly what Mossad wanted her to be, trained from childhood to be the perfect operative, the perfect killer.

"I love my father, but I do not trust him." She looked away from him, struggling to keep eye contact, her eyes tracing the wooden beams of his boat. "He has kept too many secrets, told me so many lies. What Ari said makes sense, even though I do not want it too."

Quietly Gibbs sat down under the skeleton of his boat, "that doesn't explain why you're being doubted."

"I attended Ari's funeral. My father had already forbidden me from going anywhere near. What I did not know was that he'd had me followed." She shook her head, "I should have been more careful, more aware of my surroundings." Her voice rose with each sentence, frustration and anger colouring her words, her hands coming up to emphasise her feelings. "I was brought before him at Mossad headquarters. We argued. It ended badly." Ziva shook her head again, her hands going still around the jar. "He told me my love for my family was my greatest weakness." He watched as she swallowed hard, her hand coming up to rub her eyes briefly.

Gibbs felt an ache in his chest. "Ziva," his voice was sad, "There's nothing wrong with loving your family, and no matter what Ari did he was still your brother."

She laughed, a quiet breathy sound that was more sarcastic then happy. "It does not matter. A few days later I heard whispers, rumours, suspicions that I was like Ari, that I went to his funeral to meet a contact, to share classified information and that I was willing to betray my father." She shook her head, and Gibbs couldn't work out if she was sad or just confused. "Rumours like that end badly in my experience. It was then that I applied for the liaison job with NCIS. My father signed the order within the day, although he did not tell me why, did not even answer my call when I rang to say goodbye. Perhaps he thinks I will be safer here, in America." She laughed again then, "I think it is the only time he has ever been concerned over my safety."

"He's your father Ziva. He cares." Truthfully, Gibbs wasn't sure. What parent would raise their child into the way Ziva had been, would want them to go into the dangerous situations he had no doubt she had seen.

Ziva looked at him then, dark eyes taking the measure of his face. "I do not think you believe that Gibbs." She stood then and moved around the other side of the boat, her hands running over the smooth wood. Deciding to let her be for a moment Gibbs began sanding the hull, waiting her out. He had no doubt there were other reason she was here, other secrets she was keeping, things he would eventually learn. Just not tonight. Not until she was ready.

Her voice was quiet again when she spoke, her mind elsewhere. "When I turned five, my father gave me my first knife. My mother was horrified, I can still remember how she screamed at him." Gibbs watched as smile brightened her face before slipping away again. "My sister Tali had been born the year before, and he told me that he would teach me how to protect her, how to keep her safe with that knife," she paused, her hand rubbing her face. He could see her exhaustion, her eyes losing focus occasionally before she shook her head to clear her vision. "At five years old I was thrilled, so excited to being taught something so grown up, now as an adult, I see how bad that is. Even then he knew what he wanted me to become."

Gibbs couldn't help but feel she never had a choice. "When my daughter was five, I made her a doll." He couldn't help the fond smile; Out of the corner of his eye he saw a smile flash across Ziva's face too. It was strange that a young woman he hardly knew was the only person he could talk to about his daughter with. "I didn't know you had a sister?"

Ziva's eyes focused, filling with sadness before she looked away. Moving to stand next to him, she picked up a piece of sandpaper and began copying his movements. "She died a few years ago. She was a better person than I will ever be."

Gently Gibbs placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently then turning her to face him. "I'm sorry."

She smiled then, her face turned up towards his. "It was not your fault." Pulling free of his hands she sat down, taking up his former position under the boat, her legs folding under her, watching him with an interest he found a little disconcerting.

His face turned serious, her words still weighing on his mind. "What will happen if your father loses his position."

She didn't look away this time, her gaze steady. "I will be escorted back to Israel and questioned."

"Questioned?" Gibbs couldn't say he liked the sound of that.

"Interrogated. Possibly, probably with force. I will likely be stripped of my position and may be killed. It is highly unlikely that I would be returning as your liaison office."

He shook his head at her. "I won't let that happen." He owed her too much to let that happen to her.

"You would not be able to stop it Gibbs." He could hear the break in her voice, the tears she was trying so very hard to hold back. The only sign of fear she had shown all night. "Besides, it may not happen. I thought it would be better for you to know however." Her head dipped, fingers running over the sandpaper in her hand. For a while she was quiet, the silence comfortable, the only sound was movement of the sandpaper on the wood. Finally, she looked up and smiled at him before tuning to the clock, her eyes widening a little at the time. "I should go, it is late."

Knowing he wouldn't get anymore out of her tonight he nodded, collecting the paper she was still holding. "I'll drive you home." He could still hear the rain against the basement windows, her clothes had only just dried off. He paused then and looked at her. "Where are you staying?" He didn't even know if Mossad had arranged for anywhere for her to stay, or where she had slept the night before.

She shook her head at him before standing up and collecting her bag. It wasn't the same one she'd had when she'd arrived the other morning he realised. This one was bigger, more like a military kit bag, packed with more than just the few things she'd had all day at the office. "It is alright. I am returning to NCIS for the night. You do not need to drive me."

Putting his hand on top of the bag he forced her to put it back on the floor. "Ziva," his tone was admonishing.

"It will hardly be the worst place I have slept." When he didn't relent, she let go of the bag. "I stayed there last night and was fine."

"You can't sleep under your desk." He couldn't help but think of the last person who had slept there. He wondered if Kate would have liked Ziva. The way Ziva tied Tony in knots would have certainly made Kate smile at the very least, between them he wouldn't have been able to speak for weeks. "You have somewhere to stay, don't you?"

"The apartment that I had arranged is not ready for me to move in yet as I am here a few days soon."

"Early," he instantly corrected earning an exasperated sigh from her.

"Early." She smiled then, "this way I will not be late to work in the morning."

"No, you won't," he watched as she grinned, victory in her eyes, then reach for her bag again, her head coming up sharply when he still didn't let go of it, "because you're staying here," he finished.

"Gibbs," her voice was tired. When she looked at him, she saw the resolve in his eyes. Finally, she let go and stood up again.

Picking the bag up himself he headed towards the stairs, looking over his shoulder to make she followed him. Ziva paused for a moment, before blowing out a frustrated breath and moving to go with him. Quietly she followed him to the guest room, watching as he put her bag on the bed before heading to the door. He paused for a moment, watching as she looked around the room briefly. "Night Ziva."

"Good night Gibbs."

**A/N2 This was meant to be under 1000 words. :/ I know that Ziva was actually ordered kill Ari and that Gibbs finds out but for this I'm playing it without that little revelation, although I'm thinking of doing a part two to The Truth of the Consequences so will probably put it in there. You know I could do so many of the basement conversations between these two. As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review. **


End file.
